Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 9, 2004

2004-11-09 04:00:00 PDT Dallas -- To coach Mike Montgomery, the Warriors looked like a million bucks in the first half against the Mavericks.

The Warriors scored 57 points in their first strong start of the season. They shot 47.8 percent from the field. They led by as many as 17. Their starting backcourt of Derek Fisher and Jason Richardson combined for 28 points on 11-for-22 from the field. The energy was there, with training-camp invitee Ansu Sesay hustling for eight rebounds in 11 minutes.

The second half? The Warriors looked "stale," according to forward Mike Dunleavy, going 4-for-28 from the field in the first 15 minutes. They got refreshed enough to force overtime, but some late-game mistakes and confusion cost them in a 101-98 loss at American Airlines Center on Monday night.

Halfway to the upset, the Warriors stalled.

"We have to put it together for a complete game," center Dale Davis said. "That's where we're at right now. We were aggressive and played good enough to win in the first half, but we let things get away from us a little bit after that."

Golden State Warriors forward Troy Murphy (1) defends against Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier (25) in the first period of their game in Dallas, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Golden State Warriors forward Troy Murphy (1) defends against Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier (25) in the first period of their game in Dallas, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Photo: DONNA MCWILLIAM

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Golden State Warriors guard Derek Fisher (4) goes to the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward Alan Henderson puts his hand in his face in the second period of their game in Dallas, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam) less

Golden State Warriors guard Derek Fisher (4) goes to the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward Alan Henderson puts his hand in his face in the second period of their game in Dallas, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004. (AP ... more

Photo: DONNA MCWILLIAM

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Golden State Warriors center Adonal Foyle (31) from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, looks on as Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, right, from Germany, shoots a basket in the fourth period of their game in Dallas, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004. The Mavericks won 101-98. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam) less

Golden State Warriors center Adonal Foyle (31) from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, looks on as Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, right, from Germany, shoots a basket in the fourth period of their game in ... more

After Richardson got them to overtime with a left-corner 3-pointer over two defenders with 13.1 seconds remaining, the Warriors made too many miscues to secure Montgomery's first NBA victory.

With the Warriors trailing 96-93, Dunleavy -- who earlier in the OT came off screens to nail a 3-pointer and a 20-footer -- was well short on two free-throw attempts. He tried and failed to grab the offensive rebound after the second miss, triggering a Dallas fast break that point guard Jason Terry completed with a layup.

Richardson's 3-pointer brought the Warriors to 98-96 with 47.4 seconds left. Forward Dirk Nowitzki then missed an 18-footer and Davis rebounded, but Dunleavy was called for a pushing foul on Josh Howard.

"They need to make everything consistent," Dunleavy said of the officials. "With 26 seconds left, that's a tight call. I didn't give him much resistance. He just kind of fell over. You can't make that call. It's ridiculous."

Dallas began the possession with 26.8 seconds to go, leaving a 2.8-second difference between the shot and game clocks. Fisher, who was defending the ball-handler Terry, said he looked to the bench early in the possession to see if Montgomery wanted to take a foul.

"No one really ever gave me a strong signal definitely to foul," Fisher said. "After the clock ran down a little bit more, it didn't make sense to foul then. I felt like later in the clock I was hearing them yell foul, but I was caught in between at that point because I thought I had already let 16, 17, 18 seconds run off, and at that point, let's go ahead and get a stop."

Said Montgomery: "I didn't communicate that as well as I needed to. ... We should have fouled earlier. We could have gotten two or three more possessions out of the thing."

Fisher attempted to draw a charge on Terry but was called for a blocking foul with 7 seconds to play. Terry made both free throws for a 100-96 lead. After Richardson hit a 7-footer in the lane and Nowitzki split two free throws, Richardson came up short on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer near the top of the key.

Richardson finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Fisher, starting in place of Speedy Claxton (bruised right thigh), had 23 points and nine assists, but he went 0-for-11 from the field after halftime and said he tired in the latter stages of his 46-minte stint.

Montgomery viewed the performance as a step forward even though the Warriors fell to 0-4.

"If we can play with that kind of effort consistently," he said, "we'll be fine. I think we're making progress, if this is any indication."